Jacinda Ardern surges in polls on Kiwi virus success

AFP, 18TH MAY, 2020- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s success containing coronavirus has driven an extraordinary popularity surge that has put the youthful leader on course for a landslide win in September’s national election.

Ardern’s centre-left Labour Party was up 14 points at 56.5 percent, a Newshub-reid Research poll published Monday found, with her rating as preferred prime minister surging 20.8 points to 59.5 percent.

The survey also indicated an overwhelming 91.6 percent backing for Ardern’s COVID-19 response, which involved a strict sevenweek lockdown that appears to have the virus under control.

Support for the conservative National opposition slumped

12.7 points to 30.6 percent in the poll, with its leader

Simon Bridges on 4.5 percent as preferred

Prime Minister -down 6.1 points.

The figures mirror leaked research from

Labour’s own pollster, UMR,

Ardern’s centre-left Labour Party was up 14 points at 56.5 percent, a Newshubreid Research poll published Monday found, with her rating as preferred prime minister

last month which had Ardern’s party on 55 percent support and National at 29 percent. Ardern, who won office on a wave of “Jacindamania” in 2017, said she was making no assumptions about the September 19 election. “I’m taking nothing for granted,” the 39-year-old told Newshub.

“The fact that

I’m making no assumptions about what will be the end outcome will be on election day should be a nod to that.” Jacinda Ardern